When One Ends
by I'mYourOtherPersonality
Summary: Seven years. Seven years she had waited. For an answer. For him. Two days ago she found a clue, a hope. She was going to find him. She had to. She needed an answer. For everyone's sake. To save herself. To save him. An end would be reached, no matter what the cost.
1. Prologue

**I do not own Rosario Vampire**

* * *

Darkness. Nothingness. Silence. She lay on her back unable to move, gazing into an endless black void. She couldn't think, she couldn't feel, she couldn't see. Suddenly, after what felt like an eternity, a red glow illuminated the void. A winged figure hovered over her. The silhouette of an angel maybe?  
It's presence was suffocating. It's breathing was ragged. No... this was no angel. This was a devil. It reached out to her with a black arm, darker than the void itself, caressing her face. If she could feel fear she would have screamed. To make it stop, to make it go away. Yet oddly, it made her feel somewhat at peace. She knew this being.  
It smiled sadly at her.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

Then the world exploded.  
A scream. An angel of light. It was the first time in her life that she had felt truly helpless. She was afraid.  
And then. An end was met.

* * *

 _Seven years later_

Moka gave a pained smile as she entered the bar. She had wanted to leave these memories behind. Fate had thought otherwise.

She sighed. It had been seven years. Seven years since that fateful day. A painful day which was best left to be forgotten. Truth be told, her knowledge of this painful day was of nothing. She didn't know what exactly had occurred. Just that _he_ had... gone.

Thunder rumbled in the distance, jerking her from her thoughts as the clouds threatened to cry. It was a grey and gloomy day today, grey streaked the sky and the streets. The streets were quiet and empty due to weather warnings of an oncoming thunderstorm. She cringed at the thought and grunted with dismay as she closed the sliding door behind her.

The bar itself was a rather modest establishment. Six booths lined the side of the shop, whilst a few weathered tables were scattered about to fill the empty space. And empty it was, it was a weekday, hence only a few people were present. Most in a drunken stupor and passed out on their respective tables.

The only immediately notable person that could be classified of being alive was the bartender, whom was alone, silently wiping glasses and staring off into the distance as if in a trance. He took no notice of her.

As if adding to the depressing atmosphere, only two fluorescent orange bulbs provided light for the entire bar, casting dark into every corner of the room, isolating every living being in their own little worlds.

A lone man sat at the very last booth. The years had not treated him well. He wore a tattered brown coat, its frayed sleeves showing as he fingered his empty glass. Dark circles and wrinkles outlined his lack of sleep. His hair was greying and showed signs of balding. He was nothing but a mere shadow of his former self.

Moka made her way over to the booth he was seated in, and sat herself across from him on the opposite side of the table. Shirking off her trench coat in the process. If he had acknowledged her presence, he didn't show it. He seemed closed off to the world as he stared outside with an empty gaze, his eyes were glazed. She followed his gaze and saw a mother and a son hurriedly making their way across the street towards a man, whom she presumed to be the father.

She turned back to the man sitting across from her, sighing with pity.

"Thank you for coming here today Mr. Aono. Especially after such short notice."

The man finally broke out of his trance and averted his gaze towards her. He tried his best to smile, but years of nothing but lonely isolation had stripped him of that right. All he could manage was a simple twitch of his lips before replying.

"Anything for my son's friend, Moka. And please just call me Koji, I don't deserve your formalities Moka. I have nothing left."

Moka sighed sadly at his comment.

"Why did you call me here?" he asked suddenly, leaving her no time to reply. "Why now? After seven years? What you said on the phone…" he said almost pleadingly.

Moka had feared this reaction. She had been rather blunt on the phone, she herself had been very confused about this whole thing. He looked at her desperately, scanning her face as if it held all the answers he wanted. His grip on his glass tightened as his knuckles whitened.

"Look, Mr. Aono, I know this whole thing may be insensitive, but I really do think Tsukune is still alive," she whispered "No, I know he is," she added hurriedly.

His face contorted in anger, "Moka. I respect you. I do. You brought my son happiness in his time of need, you saved his life so many times, and I respect you for that. But please, please accept that he's gone. Please don't lie to me or to yourself. When my dear Kasumi passed, she still thought Tsukune was alive, Moka. She still held onto that belief. I believed her, but it has been five years since then, Moka. Tsukune is gone."

"But Mr. Aon- "

"No buts Moka. Please. Please just leave me be. I don't want to experience this pain again," he begged in a hushed voice, not wanting to attract any unwanted attention. He whimpered and began to shake. His eyes were turning glossy.

Moka couldn't help but pity the man. His doubt was justified. He was only human.

"Mr. Aono," she interjected, "I know how it feels. I loved him too. So did his mother. And I am telling you, somewhere, Tsukune is alive. He's still out there! I have proo-"

"Do you even know what you're talking about Moka?" he spat, "Do you have any idea about what you're suggesting? This is my son's life we're discussing."

"I do Mr. Aono. I have evidence," she stated bluntly.

It began to rain. The room darkened as soft pitter patters of water hit the window of the booth, obscuring the light of the street light on Koji's aging face. The shadows imitated tiny black insects, which ran down his face in packs. They did well to hide his tears. The duo sat in silence for a few moments as Moka let Koji come to terms with what she had just said.

"Show me," he croaked, his voice threatening to break. He was silent now, his chocolate brown eyes bore into her emerald green.

She nodded and fished around the pocket of her trench coat, until her hand brushed against cold metal. She was breathing very heavily now, thinking whether or not this was the right thing to do. The very essence of that thing was evil. She finally mustered the courage to take it out and place it on the table before her.

It was a black chain consisting of only three links. Hairline cracks ran down the side of the metal links. There was no mistaking what it was. Koji's eyes widened as he recognised what it was.

"It's... How...," his voice caught in his throat. He began to shake again. However not in anger, but in fear, as he continued to stare at the impure object.

"It still has his scent on it." she stated grimly.

He looked back at her in disbelief. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

"I found it two days ago," she continued.

Yes, two days ago. This time two days ago. She had stumbled upon it by sheer coincidence, if you could say that. No, it wasn't some naturally occurring phenomena, no, someone had placed it there, someone unknown. Someone impure.

Even without her inner self to guide her anymore, she could sense the evil within it. But... It smelled of him. There was no mistaking it. It was a fresh scent, it was definitely her loved one, her Tsukune.

What unnerved her most was the state of the area she had found it in. It was in a state of absolute carnage. She definitely didn't want to meet whatever had caused such destruction. Even her rosary, something she presumed dead for seven years, had reacted negatively. It was a sure sign of something. Something concerning Tsukune. It was a warning.

Seven years. Seven years of silence. She had just been about to give up. To accept his death, hopefully to move on.

But after seven years...

She had finally found a clue of his continued existence. It was only a small part of it. But there was no mistaking it.

Moka stared back at Koji's pale face. She hadn't noticed that she had begun to shiver too. Neither of them could speak, only stare.

Koji's finally managed to say two words. Two words that she had hoped to never hear of again. The rain pitter pattered against the window. This time the little black insects were running down her face. She closed her eyes, hoping to block out his voice, but to no avail.

"Holy Lock."

* * *

 **To be continued. I know I probably need a lot of fixing up with my errors. But hey, I'm welcome to critical reviews. It helps a tonne :)**


	2. Chapter 1

**I do not own Rosario Vampire**

* * *

Red. All she could see was red. The colour red everywhere. A few strands of silver.

A figure came into view.

A woman? The woman called out to her, to herself. Yes, she was looking at a part of herself.

A scream. A bright white light shone brighter than the red hue. It blinded her. She felt as if something was torn from her very soul. It was beyond painful, yet she could not scream.

And then.

Emptiness.

It was clear now. It was grey.

She reached out longingly at nothing. Her hands reached out to nothing in the vast nothingness of the void.

It was quiet now. It wasn't a peaceful silence, however. It was deadly and spoke of nought but isolation.

Warmth. She looked down at the silver cross. Was it a pulse?

 _No._

Blood. Emptiness. An end was met.

But it was not her own.

* * *

Despite being in possession of the Holy Lock, if only a section of it, Moka had quickly come to realise that it offered no hints whatsoever as to Tsukune's whereabouts. She lamented the fact that it smelled more of _it_ than Tsukune. The vile stench had proven to be overwhelming, so she had stored it in a container of 'room spray' Kurumu had gifted her in their final year at Yokai.

The thing reeked of chloroform and pastries, obviously meant to subdue the young vampire long enough for the succubus to 'take a juicy bite' out of Tsukune as Kurumu had worded it. Inner hadn't been pleased with the succubus' antics. As one would have expected, the succubus had received quite a thorough lashing that day.

Moka couldn't help but chuckle at the memory of her old friend. She hadn't yet informed the succubus of her findings, and she didn't plan to either. It would be too dangerous for her to get involved, especially if _it_ was out and about. No. Koji was enough.

She had debated whether or not to tell him when she had found it. He was Tsukune's father after all, he had a right to know. But he was also only a human being, and now she had gotten him mixed up in her own affairs.

 _Monster affairs._

She grumbled as the guilt ate at her. Her task was to help Koji, not expose him to the dangers of the Yokai world. She sighed in frustration and faceplanted on her desk, mumbling curses under her breath.

* * *

"Holy Lock."

Those two words had burned themselves into Koji's mind, and he didn't know whether to be relieved or terrified of their significance. On one hand, they somehow proved that Tsukune was alive. Whilst on the other, it proved that _that thing_ was alive and roaming about.

Yes, he knew what it was. Tsukune and his friends had come clean after they had graduated from Yokai Academy. Of course, when it came to his son's group of friends, it was only necessary after the blue haired girl had caused a ruckus in some freak show concerning his son's love life. At first he had thought that maybe she had acquired some very realistic props. People couldn't have wings. Right?

But then that child barged in, donning a witch's hat and a wand, she conjured a _wash basin_ out of thin air above the blue haired girl's head. It impacted against the poor girl's cranium with a surprisingly hollow clang.

Needless to say, Koji had been thoroughly educated on his poor life choices about unknowingly sending his son off to a crackpot school.

Koji vowed not to steal any more leaflets from shady drunk priests in an alleyway ever again.

Koji smiled, remembering Kasumi's reaction. She had passed out on the spot. Later, however, after awakening, she had grabbed their son by the ear and began to scold him brutally for risking his life so much. The revelation of another world, filled with monsters, existing alongside their own hadn't fazed her in the slightest. No, it was their son's wellbeing.

His _shenanigans_ as she had called it.

Ah, typical Kasumi. He sighed sadly, remembering her death. 'Heart failure' the doctor had said. He had blamed himself of course, he hadn't seen sense at the time. Why her? She was a young and healthy woman. She never did anything bad. The gods had already taken his Tsukune, and now she was gone too. Right up until the very end she believed that Tsukune was still alive. Mother's intuition she had said.

He hadn't had the heart to deny her this fact. That Tsukune was long gone. She held onto the belief that he was out there somewhere. With tears in her eyes she had made him swear that he would take care of their son when he found him. When he found him. Not if.

Koji had broken down and in a fit of emotional turmoil, swore it by the gods themselves.

He never did live up to his promise.

Two years had passed since then, and all he had managed to achieve was a dysfunctional liver, ruined by his sorrowful drinking to ease the pain of his loss.

And now... seven years after Tsukune's disappearance. Moka had called him out of the blue.

"Come quickly." She said with an urgent undertone in her voice.

She had mentioned Tsukune in the call, and that was all it took.

The rest was gibberish.

The Holy Lock. The sole thing that sealed that accursed being that used his son as a vessel. It originally had 27 links. Now it had 24. Hopefully.

Koji knew the dangers that resulted from broken links. He could only pray that Moka didn't sense more than the three that she had shown him in the bar. The more links to seal that _thing,_ the better.

He shoved his bags into the trunk of his Renault Alpine. Moka had warned him not to do anything rash. She had wanted him to wait for her to find some leads, she had said looking for it was too dangerous for a human. She was right of course.

But time was of essence. His son's humanity was at stake. He couldn't just stand by and wait.

As he started the car he only had one thing in mind. And that was to finally fulfill the promise he made to Kasumi.

He would find his son, no matter what the cost.

* * *

Moka fingered at her rosary nervously and pressed the redial button. The phone rang for a few moments, the automated voicemail followed. Moments turned into hours, yet there was still no answer. She knocked on the door.

No answer.

Koji was gone.

Her mind immediately jumped to the conclusions. All leading to the death of Koji Aono.

'No, not Koji. He's too careful. You know that Moka.'

She kicked herself for telling him. Of course he would do this sort of thing. Of course he had to run off by himself to find his son. He was a selfless prick with no sense for his own safety. He was exactly like Tsukune. Like father like son.

'Just go off and get yourself killed, why don't you? See what I care,' she fumed in her head.

She stood at the front door to his house, hoping to trace his steps from there. Alas, she had no such luck. Koji had masked himself well. Meaning his scent was near indistinguishable to that of an average alcoholic.

She hopelessly looked to her rosary for advice. Inner could have found him easily with her enhanced senses.

The rosary didn't respond.

She sighed in defeat and examined the artefact.

The stone in the centre of the cross was a dull grey colour now. Gone was the red eye with its scrutinising and judgemental glare. It was empty and dead now. It was just another article of her daily garb. It was cold to the touch like a piece of jewellery.

 _Cold._

Wait.

"Cold!" she exclaimed. The seal had reacted negatively when she had found the chain links.

She told Koji where she had found the links in hopes of seeing if it was a significant location for the Aono's. Koji had shown no familiarity to the mention of the place.

He had most definitely gone there in search for clues.

"Thank you, Kami!" she shouted at the sky.

A grey cloud fluttered. And for once, she was glad.

* * *

Koji stared balefully at the weathered sign.

He knew what it was, and he was very glad that Moka hadn't a clue as to its significance.

He had scoured the area in hopes of finding a clue but found nothing. Just as he was about to give up, the street lights had flickered on. Signifying the beginning of night. They had illuminated this sign, this sign which held poison.

He knew exactly what it meant. He had worked for them before in hopes for a better future. It wasn't a coincidence that Moka had sensed an evil presence here.

It was an innocent place. A playground for toddlers.

It was placed there for him to find, and for him to deduce.

He lifted the yellow tape surrounding the area and walked back to his car, his heart racing. As he walked, he glanced at the sky. It was pitch black, but he could clearly make out the outlines of clouds. They never ended.

His breath made a fine mist in the evening air.

This world, in its perpetual state of winter.

He had no idea that his dear son was involved with _them_. Of course, his heart was too pure to understand the dangers. That was what Koji had hoped. He shook his head. He was taking this far too calmly.

'You're turning senile old man,' he thought as he quickened his pace. He didn't want to spend too much of his time here.

For the more time he spent here and looked at those cursed words, the more he would succumb to the insanity that was his mistake. He could only hope it wasn't too late for his son. He prayed to whatever god was left in this desolate world.

"I'm sorry," he murmured to no one, but to everyone.

* * *

In that playground for toddlers, the light shone on a board. Three words marked the board.

 _The Floating Garden._

* * *

 **I know this is rushed, but I want to get the basics of the story set up before I get deep into it.**

 **So far we know that Koji has done something regrettable. And no, it doesn't concern Tsukune. It's something else. Something darker than his son's disappearance.**

 **You'll find out much later though.**

 **The world being in a perpetual state of winter? You'll find that out later too.**

 **And again, I apologise for the short chapters. They'll gradually begin to lengthen out so don't worry. And hopefully gain more quality so you guys can have a better understanding of what I'm trying to portray haha.**

 **Stay tuned.**


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